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Great News In The World Of Pitching

Great News In The World Of Pitching

Steve’s breakdown: Well the 4As did something great. They released an agency review participation contract to curb ghosting and other bad practices. As if it wasn’t bad enough to wait weeks for a decision, never hearing anything has got to stop and here’s how! EVERYWHERE, USA: The 4A’s is releasing an agency review participation agreement […]
Sale of Marlboro Ranch Snuffs Out Smokers’ Vacation Dreams

Sale of Marlboro Ranch Snuffs Out Smokers’ Vacation Dreams

Steve’s breakdown: Cigarette maker Philip Morris USA sold the Montana property and some are disappointed; ‘I decided now’s a good time to try to quit’ Is this the last nail? Depends on your perspective . . . MONTANA: Christine Dorgan has a box full of swag and gear she ordered with points from the back […]
Maybe it’s time for your merger

Maybe it’s time for your merger

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Greatest Idea: Pitch this to your clients

Greatest Idea: Pitch this to your clients

Steve’s breakdown: We know it’s stupid to say “that’s a great idea – pitch it to your clients”. I mean, we’re not stupid but maybe a little. The thing here is, if “Joey no Brainy” can get a concept & execute it in no time flat, that’s a thing!  Just sayin’. This one: Betting on […]
What to do with fossil fuel clients?

What to do with fossil fuel clients?

Steve’s breakdown: “Can young creatives convince Big Advertising to ditch Big Oil?” Good question! If you go to the Clean Creatives website, you can find this list of companies they want all ad agencies to drop as clients. There’s 14,105 of them. True, many don’t use ad agencies but many do. So what are you […]
Farsi da parte pantalone indossare commedia dell’arte: It’s time to Charge!

Farsi da parte pantalone indossare commedia dell’arte: It’s time to Charge!

Steve’s breakdown: “Setup’s third annual Marketing Relationship Survey sought insight from major brand and agency leaders and found 1/3 are considering an agency change.” That statement could scare some agencies but make the hungry ones drool. EVERYWHERE, USA: Nearly one-third of U.S. brands may be contemplating switching up their ad agency in the next six […]
Millennials reveal their favorite brands

Millennials reveal their favorite brands

Steve’s breakdown: There’s a lot here to unpack but it’s worth a look. EVERYWHERE, USA: Millennials still can’t get enough of Apple, Nike, and Amazon. Marketing agency Moosylvania has once again compiled its “Millennials’ Top 100 Brands” based on a survey of 1,000 millennial consumers. While some of the top brands stick around year after […]
Coming to a boil: Black-owned media companies

Coming to a boil: Black-owned media companies

Steve’s breakdown: If you are asking how this news is a new business lead, then it’s probably not. On the other hand, we believe there are dozens of possible ways to turn this into an agency opportunity. Let me know what you think . . . Here’s the headline that came out yesterday: If You […]
Nice campaign idea – stupid tagline

Nice campaign idea – stupid tagline

Steve’s breakdown: We’re not buying this campaign. The idea is nice but the line “I’m a Ram” is stupid. No one calls themselves “A Brand”. Maybe just the brand like, I am Ford but A Ford. Just imagine if Jeep Cherokee did this . . . The client must have pushed this through but the […]
Here’s the Skinny & Their Names

Here’s the Skinny & Their Names

Steve’s breakdown: Agencies ask me about search consultants all the time. The main thing about these folks is you should be aware of them. Maybe even make friends with them. This is especially important if you are an Independent Agency because they always call the giant holding companies like WPP, IPG etc first. On the […]
Peter Levitan’s interview with Steve Ratti

Peter Levitan’s interview with Steve Ratti

Steve’s breakdown: The other day I had the pleasure to be a guest on the Advertising Stories podcast with renowned new business expert Peter Levitan. He coaches digital and advertising agencies on how to build exceptional & unignorable business development programs. It was a lot of fun and I don’t expect you to listen to […]
How a Model’s Eye Gaze Can Make an Ad More Effective

How a Model’s Eye Gaze Can Make an Ad More Effective

Steve’s breakdown: Just a little something from The Wall Street Journal we thought would be interesting. EVERYWHERE, USA: New research suggests having a model look away from the camera makes an emotional ad more effective; the opposite is true of an ad designed to be informative To make an ad more effective, sometimes it pays […]
Cutting the Corporate Cord to Trump = There’s extra cash out there

Cutting the Corporate Cord to Trump = There’s extra cash out there

Steve’s breakdown: Say what you want but last Wednesday “is a day that will live in infamy”, to quote FDR, and corporate America is just not having it. So where’s the new business lead? It’s a moving target but there will be a lot of cash that’s not going where it was planned to go […]
2021 outlook for digital marketing agencies: the future is bright

2021 outlook for digital marketing agencies: the future is bright

Steve’s breakdown: Nobody’s leaving 2020 unscathed — especially marketers. But according to CallRail’s research, many agencies weathered storm after storm surprisingly well. They surveyed 167 global digital marketing agency leaders and found that many actually expect increased revenue from 2019. Those who profited most reassessed and reevaluated their businesses. This report reveals the steps they […]
It’s Time to Power Through This Storm . . .

It’s Time to Power Through This Storm . . .

. . . because we can see the end is sight. Steve’s Just Sayin’: This is no time to muddle through work. Yeah, a lot of us did during the summer but now it’s time to power through! So here’s the plan: Be the first to contact that perfect client for your agency we write […]
Brands increasingly seek Indie Shops & their Nimble Ways

Brands increasingly seek Indie Shops & their Nimble Ways

Steve’s breakdown: Just wanted to share this good news to most or our membership. That’s right, most of our members are not part of a holding company and it is our hope more will split away from the lumbering behemoths. BTW: The image is from a presentation given by an executive of the indie agency […]
Local Tourism advertising: Do’s & Don’ts

Local Tourism advertising: Do’s & Don’ts

Steve’s opinion: I love this spot for Memphis! It’s gritty, fun, real, smart, uses “touch points” beautifully and, most importantly, it will bring folks out! But after doing all this great production work, someone got lazy and used the most lame, overused, outdated tagline formula. The three words with periods. “Eat. Love. Local.” Great sentiment […]
The State of AdLand by Ratti Report

The State of AdLand by Ratti Report

Hey Y’all, Steve Ratti here with just a few points you might want to take into consideration regarding how we see the industry. During this whole pandemic, we’ve been mining all the “Out of the Office Auto-Replies” we get every time we send out the DailyQ. Some observations. • During the Months of March-May, we’ve […]
Pitch a ‘Staycation’ Campaign to Your City to Help Local Business

Pitch a ‘Staycation’ Campaign to Your City to Help Local Business

Steve’s breakdown: Or pitch the city next door, and the one on the other side of that. Just pick one and do it. It’s a great way to create your own account and cites everywhere need it! LA did and it’s great. Checkout the daily live stuff they do on YouTube LOS ANGELES, CA & […]
Report: 80% Of Americans Want Brands To Take Action On Racism

Report: 80% Of Americans Want Brands To Take Action On Racism

Steve’s breakdown: As if you didn’t know this already but including a social justice campaign in a new business pitch might just put you over the top. Just a thought . . . EVERYWHERE, USA: A new study from New York-based ad agency Oberland finds 91% of Americans believe their actions and the actions of […]
Stop Junk Mail & Save a Democracy

Stop Junk Mail & Save a Democracy

This is not an advertising lead y’all, just an idea I had to get off my chest. . As Americans, we all want our vote to count but during a pandemic, going to the polls is just not a great idea. So what left? Vote by Mail but the way things are going, that might […]
45% of consumers have changed brand preferences during pandemic, study finds

45% of consumers have changed brand preferences during pandemic, study finds

Steve’s breakdown: Something to think about when planning your pitch list . . . EVERYWHERE, USA: The COVID-19 pandemic and recent racial justice issues have changed the brand preferences of 45% of consumers, according to a new report from communications firm Ketchum. The report identified four pandemic personas: retro reengagers, open-minded explorers, worried withholders and cautious […]
Study: Half of Brand Marketers are Dissatisfied

Study: Half of Brand Marketers are Dissatisfied

Steve’s breakdown: A study found that half of brand marketers felt “dissatisfied” with their COVID-19 responses. That’s a lot of unhappy people and therefore opens a lot of doors for pitches to fix the situation. Don’t ya think? So start sending out those “Are You Dissatisfied” letters today!!! EVERYWHERE, USA: Roughly half of brand marketers […]
#StopHateForProfit

#StopHateForProfit

Steve’s breakdown: Ratti Report is joining @Ford, @UnileverUSA, @BenandJerrys, @TheNorthFace, @REI, @Patagonia, @MagnoliaPics, @EddieBauer & ad agencies @360i and @GSP in support of #StopHateForProfit. We are stopping all activity & advertising on @Facebook& @Instagram until real constructive change is made. EVERYWHERE, USA: Honda’s U.S. division is joining the Facebook ad boycott, making it the first […]
Blackout Tuesday & New Business

Blackout Tuesday & New Business

Steve’s breakdown: We’ve never observed Blackout Tuesday in our 10 year existence but this year is different in every way so here goes. Ratti Report completely supports the Black Lives Matter movement. Our headquarters home of Asbury Park had its protest yesterday evening with thousands attending including us. Marching completely around the east side of […]
Pitch brands that are hiring: AKA Covid-19 Hiring Surge Companies

Pitch brands that are hiring: AKA Covid-19 Hiring Surge Companies

Steve’s breakdown: Check this out new biz hunters. You can search companies by region or by category or both who have been identified as Covid-19 Hiring Surge companies on Glassdoor. Spend your at-home hours searching for the perfect client there. Highly recommended!! EVERYWHERE, USA: While a staggering 20.5 million jobs were lost in April with […]
Trying anything is the norm: Check out these 2 opposing headlines

Trying anything is the norm: Check out these 2 opposing headlines

Steve’s breakdown: These two headlines are from yesterday. Go figure! I guess our point here is “Throw the Book Out”, it doesn’t apply today. Maybe later but not now. So keep those brain storming sessions going, on full steam because no one knows what’s going to work. We just have to try! American Airlines returns […]
Advertising is the engine that will drive us out of this

Advertising is the engine that will drive us out of this

Steve’s breakdown: Say what you want but when this situation starts opening up, the advertisers that put on the gas first and most creatively will be the ones who will win market share from competitors they never would have dreamed of beating last year. So it is our felling the ad agencies serving those advertisers […]
The Good News in Pitching & around the Globe

The Good News in Pitching & around the Globe

Steve’s breakdown: Not for nothin’, we wanted to share some agency good news about pitch and the globe Pitching News . . . From Media Post: 79% are creating new messages that respond directly to the impact of the crisis on the people who use their products and services, per the survey. Half of these […]
Time to pitch clients with in-house agencies: Seems they just can’t hack-it!

Time to pitch clients with in-house agencies: Seems they just can’t hack-it!

Steve’s breakdown: You heard me right. Clients who started bringing advertising in-house seem to be having huge problems with “critical areas of marketing like video, digital, social media and analytics” because of working at home. They bit off more than they could chew and now they’re in a pickle! (those 2 metaphors almost worked together) […]
100s of accounts will be bringing their biz online: Find’em & pitch’em

100s of accounts will be bringing their biz online: Find’em & pitch’em

Steve’s breakdown: Cirque du Soleil has taken their shows online and we suspect all other event-based businesses will follow suit. That means 100s of accounts will have to change/update/retarget/re-think their advertising. So go find your favorite event-based companies and pitch’em on this idea. MONTREAL, Canada & EVERYWHERE, USA: Cirque du Soleil, having halted its live […]
Evolve the brand or get left behind

Evolve the brand or get left behind

Steve’s breakdown: “Kantar Diagnoses Consumer Response To COVID-19, Offers Prognosis For Brands That Don’t” is the headline and it’s for you to use with new and present clients. Every brand must change and evolve during this crisis or be left behind on the other side. Biggest problem Kantar sees is clients getting clod feet and […]
Rethinking advertising is going to open new business opportunities everywhere!

Rethinking advertising is going to open new business opportunities everywhere!

Steve’s breakdown: Call us optimists but we believe the current environment could have many advertisers rethinking much of their communications. The story below is what Ford Motor Company did and there will be many stories like this one coming. You might as well start your story too! So pick your targets and start the pitching […]
TeleClients should be on your radar: For instance . . .

TeleClients should be on your radar: For instance . . .

Steve’s breakdown: . . . telemedicine. Brands like Plushcare, Teladoc, American Well, Doctor on Demand, MDLive & HealthTap are keeping the “worried well” out of the hospital and that’s a good thing for all of us. EVERYWHERE, USA: As the coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S., hospitals and insurance companies are expecting a swell in […]
Something is rotten in the state of this Agency

Something is rotten in the state of this Agency

Steve’s breakdown: Guys, you know I’m not one to talk negative about an ad agency but what’s up with Kantar? I think it’s worth sniffing around their client roster for folks who don’t like drama. There has to be 1 or 2 or more because they say “We work with over half of the Fortune […]
So they kill the Beatle and then steal it’s Clio Award Winning commercial

So they kill the Beatle and then steal it’s Clio Award Winning commercial

Steve’s breakdown: This one’s from the Not For Nothin’ file of Ratti Report! Unbelievable! They kill the Beatle with the song “Let It Be” from the Beatles and then steal the Clio Award Winning spot concept for the original Beatle titled “Snow Plow Driver” for a commercial called “Monster Truck Driver” for Arteon. What happened […]
Was this whole ad review & campaign really worth it?

Was this whole ad review & campaign really worth it?

Steve’s breakdown: I’m not buying these new McDonald’s spots. What do you think? Let’s see what happens but keep the phone close to call CMO Morgan Flatley. (or her replacement) CHICAGO, IL: McDonald’s aired six commercials during the Grammys emphasizing ingredients in one of its menu mainstays, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese. The “It’s perfect […]
What to Watch in Fashion in 2020

What to Watch in Fashion in 2020

Steve’s breakdown: Here our third installment of people in an industry telling us what the future holds. So without further ado, here the 44 page report from WWD. BTW: There are about 6 leads in this thing depending what you’re looking for . . . Click WWD-What to Watch 2020
The Crystal Balls of top retail execs on what to expect in 2020

The Crystal Balls of top retail execs on what to expect in 2020

Steve’s breakdown: Here’s our 2nd installment of the crystal balls of the industry leaders. Today’s balls: Retail EVERYWHERE, USA: Every year, thousands of attendees, from CEOs and founders to analysts, gather at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show to provide an update on the industry and trends to watch. Whether it was placing the focus […]

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